September Week 3 | An Idea for Every Day

(Updated 8.19.2022)

Guess what, leaders? We made it through our first week of online teaching, and, to celebrate, God’s throwing down some snow-fetti! Honestly though, we needed it. The forests are aflame around us and we’re praying the moisture helps put them out.

How’s your school year going so far? Have you started? What does it look like for you? We’re in it with you, 110% leaders! We want to support you in ANY way we can.

One way we hope to support you is by giving you a reason to celebrate every day. We choose daily holidays and pair them with complementary learning activities for your Preschool to Sixth grade learner. Glance through our post, pick out the ones you like and have fun! Fun: a vital ingredient in learning. High interest topics stick better. Engaging lessons lead to innovative solutions in other places. You’ve seen it; you know it to be true. Let your learner’s interests guide and choose the activities that work for you. And just because we have them organized by date, doesn’t mean that’s the only day you’re allowed to engage in the activity. Ideas never expire! So, partake in the festivities in whatever way works best for you!

Here are the holidays for this upcoming week, followed by a brief description of what you’ll find when you click on the link.

  1. Grandparents Day (The First Sunday after Labor Day) - Honor those grandparents!
  2. Live Creative Day (September 14th Annually) - Open-ended music, dance, writing, and art.
  3. Online Learning and Google Day (September 15th Annually) - ART (open-ended creation and exploration) SOCIAL STUDIES (cultural exploration), TECHNOLOGY (internet safety), Research Skills (internet queries).
  4. Collect Rocks Day (September 16th Annually) - SCIENCE (earth science - types of rocks)
  5. Citizenship Day (September 17th Annually) - SEL (Good Citizenship), SOCIAL STUDIES (Becoming a U.S. Citizen)
  6. National Tradesmen Day (September's Third Friday) - CAREER EXPLORATION (carpentry), MATH (measurement), SCIENCE (using tools correctly), READING (following directions)
  7. Thank a Police Officer Day (September's Third Saturday) - Ideas for kids and adults!

And, because we at Wolfe Stew believe in variety, we’re plating these ideas up for you in several ways. Choose the delivery method that best suits you.

And now, without further ado, check out these ideas we've been stewing on for you.

 

The First Sunday after Labor Day - Grandparents Day

Ideas to honor your grandparents.
Grandparents image by Busbus via RawPixel

Perhaps this year more than ever it’s important to let the grandparents in our lives know how much we value them. To do so, consider giving them a phone call, sending them a meaningful text, planning a visit, or writing them a letter. For your convenience, browse these letter-writing resources we’ve already stewed on for you. In whatever way you choose to honor your grandparents, we’re sure they’ll feel the love. Afterall:

Children’s children are a crown to the aged. Proverbs 17:6 NIV

 

September 14th Annually – Live Creative Day

Related Preschool to Sixth Grade Learning Activities
Brain image by ElisaRiva via Pixabay

What a wonderful day to celebrate. A day to explore your creative avenues!  Whether it’s by making music, dancing, writing, or creating art, check out some of these resources we’ve stewed on for you:

  • Make Music How Stuff Works offers several music exploration activities for you. We’d make and play a Soda Bottle Organ. Imagine how delighted your learner would be to make music on recycled items!
  • Dance using the mom-approved Kids Party Playlist and just move wherever the music takes you. We’re excited to see “La Bamba,” on the list. It may be an oldie, but it’s a goodie!
  • Write inspired with these creative center ideas from We are Teachers. For younger writers, we recommend the stencil stories and picture prompts idea from Mrs. Winter’s Bliss and for older writers, we enjoy Supply Me’s story bags idea.
  • Create Art with art boxes from Early Learning Ideas. Your learner is free to make what they want, as long as the supplies are in the box.

In what way do you most enjoy expressing your creativity? Your learner? We’d love it if you’d share your creativity with us: email us (mr@wolfestew.com or mrs@wolfestew.com) or comment below!

"Creativity is intelligence having fun!" – Albert Einstein

 

September 15th Annually – Online Learning Day and Google Day

Related preschool to sixth grade learning activities
Google Browser image by 200degrees via Pixabay


How convenient is it that Online Learning Day and Google Day fall on the same calendar space? We couldn’t ignore it, so chose all our online learning resources from Google’s treasure stores. To check out everything Google has to offer, browse Google forEducation. But, we think you might enjoy the following activities:

  •  PreK-6 Canvas – Think of it as an online version of Paint. It’s a blank page waiting for you to add your artistic creativity.
  • PreK-6 Art and Culture – Explore anything you want to know as far as art and culture go with daily picks, exploration, regional, and favorites viewing options.
  • 3-6 Interland – A game that teaches internet safety. Our learner loved it and finished it in a few days!
  • 4-6 A-Google-A-Day – Develop your learner’s research skills with Google’s fun trivia game. Each day, they pose a different question and you must use your search query skills to find the right answer. Good luck, cyber sleuths!

These really only touch the tip of the iceberg of what Google for Education has to offer. But if you’re looking for someone to direct your focus and be your magnifying lens, we’ve already stewed on this resource for you. Let us know how you liked these activities, or if you discover one of your own, come back and share it. We’d love to hear about your Google Day experience: email us (mr@wolfestew.com or mrs@wolfestew.com) or comment below!

"You can’t teach people everything they need to know. The best you can do is position them where they can find what they need to know when they need to know it." – Seymour Papert (via Designing Digitally)

 

September 16th Annually – Collect Rocks Day

Related preschool to sixth grade learning resources
Rocks image by DMCA via PX Fuel

The littles in our lives love collecting rocks. We’re unsure if it’s a family phenomenon or a common age-related interest. But when all our nieces and nephews gather, rock collecting is inevitably an engaged-in activity. If your learners love rocks too, perhaps you’ll consider having them start a rock collection, and these tips from Boy’s Life will help you do just that! The suggestion we find most helpful is to store your rocks in eggs cartons. We never thought of that!

Then, have them learn about the three mains types of rocks with these videos. Have Preschool to Second Grade Learners, watch this “Be a Rock Detective!” video from SciShow Kids and Third to Sixth Grade Learners will jam to these rockin’ tunes from Scholastic.

What was one fascinating fact that rocked your world? Or tell us about your favorite rock that you added to your collection: email us (mr@wolfestew.com or mrs@wolfestew.com) or comment below!

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them." Ecclesiastes 3:1 and 5 NIV 

 

September 17th Annually – Citizenship Day

Related preschool to sixth grade learning activities
Kids around the World image by Jira via RawPixel

Being a good citizen is an important part of building community. It’s important in our country, in our communities, in our classrooms, and in our homes. With younger students, focus on the home first, then build out to countries as they get older. No matter the age, start with defining the words “citizen” and “citizenship” (both defined by Merriam Webster). Then, list ways to be a good citizen (ideas from Education World), focusing on the different applicable environments. If you’re expanding to what being a good citizen looks like in your country, consider having your learners take a mock US Citizenship test (at CNN). It will provide insight into one of the steps immigrants must undergo on the journey to becoming a U.S. Citizen.

So, leaders, what did you learn from your learners? What do they think it means to be a good citizen that you never thought of before? Did you notice yourself becoming a better citizen due to their insights? Let us know, email us (mr@wolfestew.com or mrs@wolfestew.com) or comment below!

“The first requisite of a good citizen in this Republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his own weight.” – Theodore Roosevelt

 

September's Third Friday – National Tradesmen Day

Related learning resources for Preschool to Sixth Grade Learners
Woodworking Tools image by via RawPixel


Did you know that we’re facing a labor shortage in construction-related fields (according to Lowes)? Construction workers are a type of tradesman. So, take today to seize the opportunity to immerse your learner in a field of high demand. Find out exactly what a carpenter does in this YouTube video from Building Advantage. Then, undertake some carpentry projects of your own. Preschool to Second Grade Learners will love engaging in a woodworking project  from How Wee Learn. We especially love the porcupine woodworking craft to practice hammer skills. Your Third to Sixth Grade learners will enjoy choosing one of these 20 Healthy Handyman suggested construction projects to undertake. Our learner would likely choose either the candy dispenser (from Boys’ Life) or the catapult (from Felt Magnet). I don’t know; it’s a toss-up.

We’d love to see what your learner built! Email us (mr@wolfestew.com or mrs@wolfestew.com) or comment below!

"By a Carpenter mankind was made, and only by that Carpenter can mankind be remade." – Desiderius Erasmus (via Brainy Quote)

 

September's Third Saturday – Thank a Police Officer Day

Ideas to show appreciation
Squad Car and Police Hat via PXFuel


If ever there was a time a police officer deserves a “Thank You,” now is that time. We all can agree that no matter the group of people, within that group there are worthy individuals to be found. Police officers are no different. There are plenty of police officers in our country who deserve hearty levels of appreciation. Find one of those and give them a heartfelt and resounding “Thank You!” Proud Police Wife offers eight ideas for kids and adults. Our favorite one (and it fits with collect rocks day) is to hide a thin blue line decorated rock near a police station.

"Blessed are the peacekeepers, for they shall be called the children of God" – Matthew 5:9 (KJ21)

Before You Go

We’d love to know:

  1. What your school year looks like this year (online, hybrid, in-person, homeschool, etc).
  2. Which of these activities excites you most?

Leaders, thank you so much for choosing to spend part of your day with us. We’re so glad you are here. As you go, know that we are praying for you to find pockets of JOY in every day while you’re working toward raising your littles from learners to leaders.

At Your Service,

Raising Littles from Learners to Leaders

Interested in even more educational resources?  Then stop by our Learning Lab.  It's here where we store all the educational resources we've cooked up to date.

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